Rus Scagell Interview

The latest “15 Questions” feature is with guitarist Rus Scagell. Rus is the guitarist from one of the South Coast UK’s most exciting bands, Colt 45. The band has an average age of 16 and despite their youth, they’ve recently signed a recording deal with “Red Triangle Productions“. Guitar Jar caught up with Rus to quiz him on his guitar equipment, technique and his excellent guitar tone.

…to thicken up things a little more, I usually run the Marshall DSL alongside a Marshall Class 5, which always has the volume on full…

Hi Rus, before we get into the details of your equipment and technique, can you give Guitar Jar readers an insight to why you first picked up the guitar and how long you’ve been playing?
Hi! Well, just before my 11th Birthday, I became obsessed with Green Day’s new album – at the time – American Idiot (2004). Before this, I was never really too into music at all, but this album completely inspired me into the world of music and for my birthday I spent all the money I had on an acoustic Washburn. As of this December, I will have been playing guitar for 6 years.
In the first few years in learning the instrument, which guitarist(s) were you influenced by the most and why?
In terms of discovering music, I’ve always been lucky in coming across great players and bands, just like my first two influences! When I first heard ‘Emerald’ by Thin Lizzy, I was just overwhelmed by the lead work on that song (and all of Lizzy’s records!). So my first two influences were Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson. In terms of my faster heroes, the first player in that area I was inspired by was Paul Gilbert – he has such an awesome technique and way of ‘using’ theory in his playing. Within 2 years of playing, I found Joe Bonamassa. I saw him play in 2007 and was just amazed at what he could come up with on the guitar. I could babble on about he’s inspired me all day, but hey… Ha ha! If there’s one more early influence I should mention, it’s Paul Kossoff – that vibrato amazed me from the start! His melodic mind really influenced me too.
Colt 45 is a band of fairly young guys yet you have influences that are almost three times your age. How did you all meet and what are you currently working on together?
Well, me and Scotty (the bassist) have known each other since we were four, and we started playing our instruments at pretty much the same time. My guitar tutor (John Wines) introduced me and Chris, when he was forming a ‘mini’ version of his band at the time – Jak The Lad. Andy came over from Jersey, and as soon as I met him, I started jamming with him on a weekly basis and not long after, Scotty joined, and we had a trio going on. It didn’t take long to realise that there was something missing, so I asked Chris if he wanted to join, and Colt 45 was born! At this moment in time, we’re gigging every week, among work with Red Triangle, with whom we’re writing and recording new material whenever we can. I think I speak for the whole band when I say it’s an amazing experience that we all don’t want to end, ever.
The record deal with Red Triangle sounds fantastic. How did that come about?
I think the first connection we had with them, was when a record label representative was in the area from London (who Chris’ Mum, Claire) knew, and he came down to one of our gigs to see us. I believe he told Red Triangle about us, who tried to contact us through our MySpace. Later on, Chris was looking for places to do his work experience, came across Red Triangle and by coincidence, we had a connection again. That’s how I remember the story, but however it went, it all seemed pretty fortunate! We signed with them in July this year.
I really enjoy your guitar tone, it takes me right back to the roots of the music I love. What equipment do you use to achieve such a great sound?
Thank you! For my set up, I usually keep it as simple as I can in the effects department, which, at this moment in time, contains nothing but a tuner pedal! I do use a wah pedal from time to time, as long as it’s for the effect of the solo (and used lightly) and not to cover up mistakes (think Sweet Child, the wah isn’t too heavy, but the solo wouldn’t be complete without it!). As for guitars, my personal guitar is a PRS SE Custom, which is pretty much redundant right now, as I use Andy’s (drummer) Gibson Les Paul Smartwood, which has a P-90 in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II in the neck – I just prefer it more for live work. I never like to have many pedals in the line into the amp, (I suppose I’m more of a purist in that sense!) which leads on to my amp (for all live work, and for lead work in the studio), I use a Marshall JCM 2000 (the DSL401 combo). I just find that this is a great amp thanks to its wattage, as it can be cranked to the max, sound good, and still be heard! To get away with leaving people with their hearing intact, I ALWAYS place a perspex shield in front of it, which I also find improves the bottom end of the tone (a little trick from Mr. Bonamassa), and to thicken up things a little more, I usually run the DSL alongside a Marshall Class 5, which is always on full, and packs one hell of a punch!For rhythm parts in the studio, I ran a 1992 Les Paul Standard – Courtesy of our producer, Rick – which runs in to a Marshall 1974X Combo, powered through a Marshall 1960B Cab. And that’s pretty much it! Oh, and I never play with strings of a lower gauge than 11-52, as I find this is the source to a full tone – and Dunlop Jazz III picks! They just add this amazing touch that no other pick I know can give)… I’m also a firm believer in the idea of ‘tactile’, meaning that only you can achieve your tone, and no-one else… It’s all in the fingers, like the fact that no-one else can sound EXACTLY like their idols, think of BB King, SRV, Santana, etc.
Can you tell our readers about your time in the recording studio? Is this something you enjoyed? Did any members of the band take far too long to complete their parts?
The studio was a great experience; we all enjoyed being there, and all love having the chance to record. There’s just some rush of excitement we all get when it’s our turn to have the RECORD button pressed for our parts and hearing it finished is always cool. I don’t think ‘too much’ time was spent with any of us. Sure, now and again, we might have all had to go back and think: ‘Maybe something wasn’t quite right there’ and sure, there were a few takes for a solo where I’d sit there and just play nothing! Sometimes your mind goes blank when you feel ‘under pressure’, but as for mistakes, I tend to not let them get to me. Sure, everybody makes them, and it’s always possible for them to happen, but it’s never good to have ‘too many takes’. I never like to go over three takes for a solo, as the feel just disappears after four or five and you tend to lose your intention. So as long as the feel’s there, I don’t care about mistakes… Some of time’s best solos have them, but even a mistake can be soulful!
Are you a fan of guitar/amp modelling?
To sum up in a word, I’d have to say no. But I appreciate what’s being brought out, as the level of technology these days really is out of this world! I’ve played through a lot of modelling rigs/units that have impressed me, but at the end of the day, nothing beats a proper valve amp driven to its peak – it just cuts through the mix better and to me, I prefer the tone!
How often do you practise and what do you focus on to improve your technique?
Well, I can’t usually go a day without at least an hour’s practise. I just don’t feel right if I don’t, but when I have enough time on my hands, I’ll spend a whole evening building up exercises which covers as many aspects of playing as I can fit in to a few hours! I find that fast licks/runs are cool and effective, but only when used properly! They’re great to have, but when it comes to improvising, it’s about the feel and thought you put in, and I even practise this!My teacher John always makes sure I make the most of all my phrases, not just waste the time and ‘show off’. However, having fast licks under your belt is always ‘good to have’. To improve technique, there’s no better way to focus on, than to play as slow as you possibly can. One unique thing I tend to do, that often works, is to watch my picking hand in a little mirror when I practise anything that covers more than one string. By looking at the ANGLE when I pick slowly, I can change how I approach playing a note before I play it and once I’m used to that way of playing a phrase, I don’t need the mirror any more. Now and again if I see my picking hand in a video, I think ‘that looks weird’ but then again, what works for some people, doesn’t work for others, and so in that way, I’ve found that the ‘angle’ of my pick and picking hand is my most important practising field. Try it! The ‘mirror’ method works.
What’s the priority of your guitar playing at the moment? Developing rhythm, speed, phrasing etc?
I guess at every moment in time, my number one priority is to expand on what I already know, and all the time, learning more and more to contribute to an overall technique. Sure, rhythm is of HUGE importance to every musician, where would we be if we were bad at it? As for speed and phrasing, they – like rhythm – develop with continuous practise. If there’s one way of developing, it’s recording your own work and listening to it back and picking out areas which could be improved. I guess my main priority is to make sure I always play with the highest amount of feel possible and sure, a bit of speed is good now and again, to at least ‘try’ and make people think ‘wow’.Also don’t think ‘too’ melodic, as I find if the melody is too strict and has straight rhythms (as in, without swung beats, shuffle and even too ‘in time’ sometimes!) it tends to lack feel as well and seems more like a riff than a solo. Phrasing is the one thing I look to broaden. Mistakes, I can get over, but ‘messy phrasing’ is what I try to avoid. Just let it flow and avoid making the solo sound separate (like a head-cut), you’re one player, not two!

…I make the most of all my phrases, not just waste the time and ‘show off’. However, having fast licks under your belt is always ‘good to have’…

Are you a competitive guitarist? When you jam with other people do you try to blow them away with some awesome runs?
I think as guitarists, we can all be guilty of being ‘competitive’ at times, ha ha! I try to avoid being this way though, as the idea of jamming is to complement and appreciate the other players’ playing, not show them up! I like to take every experience with other musicians as a privilege and enjoy every moment. I suppose throwing in creative runs is all part of the fun of ‘trading-licks’, but in a jam, I find that the best way to answer the question is to complement their playing, not try and upstage them.
You have a choice to jam with Hendrix or Slash. Who’s it going to be?
Ouch you are cruel, ha ha! Tough choice, as they’re both top-heroes of mine, but I would have to say Hendrix. He was mesmerising and just defines the guitar as one person who made a difference to music. He was a total genius and if I could jam with him, I’d never turn it down, plus, it’s a sad reality that he’s gone (and for 40 years now!). One of my dreams to this day is to hopefully one day play with Slash too… Can I choose both?
Your house is burning down. What’s the one guitar item you would save?
It has to be my beloved PRS SE Custom. I know they don’t cost much, but it’s something special to me and I’ve come along way with it, and I hope I have it for a long time.
If you could form a super group using famous musicians past or present, who would you have on drums and why?
It may sound a little cliché, but I’ve always stood by my decision of John Bonham being my favourite drummer. Not only was he such the virtuoso, but he had this insane knowledge of applying the right feel to whatever song he played on, and was a fundamental addition of Zep’s success.
Lager or Cider?
Snakebite
What’s the plan for you musically for the next 12 months?
Well right now, the band is gigging every weekend, and we’re all still in full time education. I’m studying music among other subjects at 6th Form and we’ll still be with Red Triangle within the next 12 months. I’m looking to experiment more with gear and develop my musical knowledge. With the band, we hope to have our album finished with the possibility of some touring!